


All You Need is Love (And a Sneaky Queen Who Can't Stay Out of Your Business)

by Mimozka



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Dlyla, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Nyssara, Team Arrow, Team Building, Vacation, general silliness, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 23:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1529720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimozka/pseuds/Mimozka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So, it looks like we’re going to Paris,” she commented.</p><p>“Says who?” Oliver asked, leaning back into his chair, grateful for the distraction.</p><p>“Said incorrigible sister of yours… I even have the tickets to prove it.”  She waved the plane tickets in front of her like a fan.</p><p>“And she asked you to come and persuade me to join you on this horrible idea of a vacation?” Oliver chuckled.</p><p>“Told me to bat my eyes and all.” Felicity joined in his mirth. “Apparently she has everything worked out, vacation time, transport, reservations, itinerary…”</p><p>“You realize that out of the two of us, you would be the more reluctant to go on vacation, right?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All You Need is Love (And a Sneaky Queen Who Can't Stay Out of Your Business)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LoudVoice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudVoice/gifts).



> This fic is actually a prompt from LoudVoice(my ask box ate your message, neighbour, sorry) who wanted to have Team Arrow on a vacation somewhere in Europe. She said fluff was mandatory and not up for debate! I believe after “Seeing Red” we could all use some of that.
> 
> Unestablished Olicity set in the near/not-so-distant future.
> 
> Enjoy.

 

* * *

 

"Ms. Smoak, there’s a package for you at the reception desk," her secretary’s voice crackled over the phone.

Felicity tore her eyes from the computer screen for a moment, to press the extension that would connect her with Gloria. “Let them up.” she said, and turned her attention back to that particularly stubborn piece of code she was working on.

Ten minutes later, she’d nearly forgotten all about the package, an insistent knock on her door pulled her away from her task.

Again.

"This just arrived for you," Gloria waved a narrow, white envelope at her as she approached Felicity’s desk. "I was told it was important"

Felicity’s brow furrowed in confusion at her secretary’s words. If it was important, why was it in an envelope? E-mail would be a lot more efficient.

Taking the envelope in her hand, Felicity looked it over. It was entirely blank. Not a stamp, name, address or so much as a drop of ink on it.

It wasn’t thick or heavy so there probably weren’t any more than a couple pieces of paper in it.

Turned out she was right. The envelope contained exactly three pieces of paper.

Two were plane tickets (business class) and the other looked like a reservation that was written in French.

Who on Earth would send her plane tickets to France?! Anonymously, too. That was one hell of an expensive gift…

Speaking of, it’s a good thing she knew a couple of people who could afford it no problem.

She dialed Oliver’s number as soon as the idea came to her.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" she’d asked him as soon as he picked up the phone, not even waiting for him to greet her.

"What?" Oliver’s response was confused at best.

"I know I’ve been bugging you about going in the field lately, but sending me off to France just so you could have your say is a new low, Oliver Queen. Even for you!" she ranted, swinging in her chair as her free hand waived around for emphasis.

"Felicity, I have no idea what you’re talking about." Oliver’s voice was calm and quiet, and Felicity knew that he was probably rubbing the back of his neck.

"So the envelope containing super exclusive tickets to France with an all-expenses paid for vacation, just magically appeared out of nowhere?“ Felicity insisted.

"Why would I send you tickets by envelope? You’re two floors beneath me… I would have just come to you. If it were me, who sent you those tickets, which it wasn’t." Oliver explained.

Felicity sighed. He was right. “Fine, sorry for ranting on you… It’s just -”

"You hate mysteries. They bug you and they need to be solved." Oliver finished her sentence with a chuckle. "I know."

"If you’ll excuse me, I have another idle rich billionaire to talk to, before I pass judgment." she couldn’t help her own amused chuckle at the fact that he remembered.

She took a couple of deep breaths, before dialing the next number on her list.

"You got them!" an excited squeal greeted her on the other end of the line.

"I knew I should have started with you, Thea," Felicity sighed.

Thea laughed at the other side of the line. “You ripped into Ollie first, didn’t you?”

Felicity’s silence was answer enough.

"So, what’s with the ticket?" Felicity asked, sobering up.

  
“Well, considering, you guys just wiped the floor with the most recent disillusioned Big Bad, I say it’s time for a vacation!” Thea announced.

"Vacation?! Thea, we can’t go on vacation. There’s so much to do."

Now was Thea’s turn to sigh. “Fine. Not a vacation. Call it a team building experience.”

“But – “

“We’re going to France, Felicity. Have you been to France?” Thea cut her off.

“No, but – “

“Vee arr’ going to speek Fr’ench” Thea cut Felicity off again.

“That was a terrible French accent,” Felicity commented. “Still – “

“We’ll be staying a really pretty house. Private property. Just outside of Paris.”

Felicity had to give it to the younger Queen – she was nothing if not determined.   

It was a testament to their bond, when Thea continued speaking, just as Felicity was about to.

“There will be wine.”

Whatever Felicity was about to say, never made it past her tongue.

“Did I mention the wine?” Thea was playing coy now. “A private wine tasting with some very expensive, very tasty French wines… Made sure there will be lots of reds, too.”

Felicity closed her eyes shut and sighed. She knew she should never have told Thea about her love of red wine…

“Fine. Team Building.” She conceded, but there was a smile on her face. “Who’s the second ticket for, though? Are we bringing a plus one?”

“Well, I’m bringing Roy, Digg is coming with Lyla and I even convinced Sara to come with us and bring that girlfriend of hers, so it’s only fair you take Ollie with us.”

Felicity rolled her eyes at her friend’s words. Thea was smart and cunning, but she wasn’t subtle. At all.

Another thing she and her brother had in common.

“Can’t you just tell him?” Felicity asked.

“You’re the only one who can make him do something he wouldn’t feel like doing, ‘Licity. Just bat those big bluish eyes of yours, smile at him and voila!” Thea laughed.

“That’s not really how – “

“Or glare at him, use your loud voice and drain his bank account into mine, whatever you feel like. As long as he gets on that plane with us.”

There was a loud bang from Thea’s side, followed by Thea swearing to all that is couture and threatening to cut off ‘Mike’s precious’.

“Gotta go, the new delivery boy just shattered a crate with some very expensive vodka. See you at lunch on Thursday.” Thea told her quickly and hung up before Felicity could so much as say goodbye.

She’d be offended if she didn’t know that Thea couldn’t help her Queen ways.

Instead she just settled on laughing and fanning herself slightly with the tickets.

_After they chased Isabel out of QC Felicity had not resumed her position as Oliver’s EA. Instead, he’d asked her to demonstrate several of her computer skills – while being timed – in front of the board of directors, after which he named her the new Head of IT. When she asked him why she had to do that, Oliver had replied that this way everyone got to see her merit with their own eyes and no one would have grounds to question Oliver’s decision or spread malicious rumors about her._

_Felicity had protested at first, not sure how this new arrangement would work for them. She was also worried about how well Oliver would do his CEO duties without her there to pester him about them. Secretly, though, she was glad to be back where she belonged._

_So they compromised – maybe for the first time ever._

_Felicity demanded that she hand pick her replacement, while Oliver promised that he would be more responsible towards his day job. Also, he moved her office from the 18 th floor to the 33rd with the rest of the Department Heads. For once, Felicity didn’t argue. She had gotten used to working close to Oliver and putting 18 floors between them seemed like too far away._

Felicity logged off of her computer, took the tickets and went out of her office, stopping by Gloria’s desk to let her know she was going out for lunch and to hold her calls unless it was an emergency.

Once in the executive elevator – to which only she, Oliver and Diggle had access – she dialed up Digg’s number to make sure he was aware of Thea’s plans. She was very amused to find out that Digg was downright giddy about them. Chuckling, she made a mental note to tease him about it later. Opportunities like that didn’t come often and she wouldn’t pass it for the world. Especially considering Digg never missed an opportunity to tease her about Oliver.

She was still briefly considering all the possible ways she could get back at him, when she reached Ada’s desk. She was Felicity’s replacement and despite how often Oliver complained about her and the way she did her job, Felicity knew the woman was more than capable.

Felicity pointed silently towards Oliver’s office, not wanting to disturb Ada’s phone call, asking if he was free.

The woman gave her a smile in return and nodded her head for Felicity to come in.

She needed no further encouragement.

“Your sister is incorrigible” Felicity said as way of greeting as the glass door of Oliver’s office slid closed behind her.

Oliver looked up from whatever paperwork he was currently – and miraculously – reading.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” He smiled at Felicity.

“Are you doing  _paperwork_? On your  _own_? Without having me breathe down your neck and threaten your bank account?” she gasped, clutching at her heart in mock-surprise.

“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious,” Oliver deadpanned.

Felicity curtsied in return.

She walked over to the leather sofa in his office and made herself comfortable.

“So, it looks like we’re going to Paris,” she commented.

“Says who?” Oliver asked, leaning back into his chair, grateful for the distraction.

“Said incorrigible sister of yours… I even have the tickets to prove it.”  She waved the plane tickets in front of her like a fan.

“And she asked you to come and persuade me to join you on this horrible idea of a vacation?” Oliver chuckled.

“Told me to bat my eyes and all.” Felicity joined in his mirth. “Apparently she has everything worked out, vacation time, transport, reservations, itinerary…”

“You realize that out of the two of us, you would be the more reluctant to go on vacation, right?” Oliver teased her “How did she get you to agree?”

Felicity picked up a random post-it from his coffee table, crumpled it in her fist and threw it at him.

Oliver didn’t even have to dodge it. It was way off the mark.

“We need to work on your aim,” he laughed.

Felicity stuck out her tongue at him. “There was a breeze.”

Oliver only laughed harder. “Sure.”

Felicity rolled her eyes at him, her lips fighting to disguise a grin of her own. She always loved it when he was smiling and laughing, even if it was at her expense, and she couldn’t help but join in whatever amused him.

“We’re leaving in 3 days.” She told him, leaving one ticket on his desk and walking away.

“You didn’t tell me how she got you to come?” Oliver called after her just as she was about to exit.

“Lots of delicious red wine.” Felicity grumbled without looking back, as she walked proudly out of his office.

She could still hear his laughter when she was near the elevator.

 

It was only once she stepped inside that she allowed herself to laugh as well.

 

* * *

 

“So, why France?” Felicity asked, picking at her French fries.

It was the day before they were supposed to leave on their vacation and Felicity was currently spending her lunch hour with Thea, trying to find out as many things about their destination as possible. She may not have been a girl-scout as a child, but she believed in their ‘be prepared’ policy.

“You mean, aside from the gorgeous cities, famous landmarks, beautiful language, delicious food and overall spectacular vacation spots?” Thea asked back playfully before taking a loud slurp of her milkshake.

Felicity sighed. On some days she felt like she deserved a prize or at least a medal for dealing with the Queens on a daily basis. Walter was the only sane individual in this family and she didn’t get to see him nearly enough.

“Yes, why France?” Felicity repeated her question.

“Well, I started looking over destinations at first,” Thea explained. “Cyprus, Greece, Croatia and Sicily are all wonderful destinations with a lot to see, taste and learn but – “

“Islands.” Felicity finished for her.

Thea nodded. “So naturally, they’re off the list. You would have loved Greece. Especially their islands. But I didn’t want to trigger anything for Oliie, so…”

“I understand,” Felicity nodded, taking a bite out of her burger.

“I was thinking Italy, Portugal and Spain, but it’s summer now and it gets unbearably hot over there, trust me.” Thea said “Also, once I had to factor in the weather the British Isles and Northern Europe fell off the list. Ollie and I have been to most of these places before, but you guys probably haven’t and the weather shouldn’t hinder your time there.”

Felicity smiled at her friend and how considerate that was.

“Then there was Russia – “

“No Russia!” Felicity cut her off quickly.

Thea smiled ruefully at her. “Yeah, exactly.”

Felicity smiled sheepishly at her “Sorry, Russia doesn’t hold the best memories.”

“I figured, especially when I asked Diggle about it… Anyway, Turkey, Austria and Hungary are too popular.” Thea added after a moment’s pause.

Now it was Felicity’s time to snort and tease Thea “Oh because France is not?”

Thea rolled her eyes at her. “It is. But not where we’re going. We won’t be staying at the French Riviera, Marseille, Paris, or any other big city. We’ll be staying at a village close enough to Paris – for a daily visit, and far away to avoid noise and crowds and stress.”

“And paparazzi” Felicity added.

“That too.” Thea nodded. “Besides, I think you’re going to love France. It’s beautiful, romantic, relaxing, it’s the wine and fashion capital of the world, and Ollie hasn’t been there in ages…”

Felicity frowned at her friend “What does Oliver have to do with it?”

Thea said nothing, opting to just wink at Felicity and take a bite of her burger instead.

 

 That should have been Felicity’s first clue.

* * *

The second one should have been the fact that her plane ticket had her seating next to Oliver in Business Class on their flight to Paris. With Thea, Roy, Digg and Lyla about three rows away from them.

At first, they were both grateful for the peace and quiet. Felicity made him watch “Iron Man” with her and while Oliver thought the billionaire/her thing was unoriginal – at which Felicity laughed out loud – he did enjoy the action sequences and the movie in general. He could also understand a lot of where Stark was coming from.

Then came time for lunch and they ate their food, with Felicity complaining how this plane meal was going to ruin all plane meals for her – you don’t get fillet mignon, white wine, and tiramisu on your average flight (at least not the real deal)…

Later on Oliver switched seats with Thea and Lyla so that the ladies could have a chat and talk about whatever it was they talked about.

Oliver’s time next to Diggle was spent discussing some of the new weapons they got for the foundry and the merits of some fighting techniques over others.

The time he spent seated next to Roy was quiet and a bit awkward. Oliver thought it was best used for a nap.

Meanwhile, Felicity was being filled on Thea’s plan for a girls-only day, which apparently included a trip to all the high-end stores in Paris, lunch on a boat on the Seine, massages, and of course the Eiffel tower. Felicity had made it clear that she will not be joining them to the top and when Thea asked why, Felicity simply told her that she’s afraid of heights and that it was all Oliver’s fault.

She refused to explain further.

Felicity and Oliver spent the second half of their flight in various states of consciousness. Felicity was reading a book on the French countryside when she felt a weight on her right shoulder. That weight turned out to be a sleeping Oliver’s head.

She’d smiled, adjusted the neck pillow around him, pulled up his blanket, and returned to her book.

Two hours later, their situation was reversed. This time, when Oliver had seen that Felicity was sleeping, he removed the armrests between them and carefully slid Felicity’s body down, until her head was lying on his lap. He then removed her glasses gently, tucking them in the front pocket of his shirt and having nothing to do, he picked up the same book Felicity had been reading.

Thea found them both asleep not long later. Oliver’s seat was reclined backwards, the book he’d been reading was sprawled on his chest, one of his hands was holding on to it as the other was resting on a sleeping Felicity’s arm.

 

“I am so showing this at your wedding!” Thea whispered excitedly as she took a picture of them before proceeding towards the bathroom.

* * *

Felicity felt like she might get a whiplash from spinning her head so much. She wished she could have at least two more sets of eyes. As they were driving through Paris and into the countryside, she couldn’t keep up with the beautiful scenery, gorgeous architecture and all the people going on about their lives.

She did notice that Oliver’s driving slowed down, in a silent way to let her absorb more of the places they were passing through, and she was grateful for that. The first round of croissants would be on her.

It turned out Thea had rented three vehicles, one for each couple and, as a result, one for Oliver and Felicity. She’d stated that there was no way in hell she was riding in a minivan and that as fun as group activities were, she was pretty sure at some point there will come a need for couple alone time.

So Thea and Roy took the red convertible, Digg and Lyla settled on the silver Lexus, and Oliver and Felicity took the Mercedes. Felicity had to give it to Thea – when she put her mind to something she pulled out all the stops.

One moment she was looking at the Lavender fields and the moment she was being shaken.

“Hey,” Oliver’s soft voice broke through the sleepy fog “Wake up,” she could feel his hand run up and down her arm.

Felicity opened her eyes reluctantly, in that way everyone does, when they’re warm and comfy and don’t want to face the real world.

“Wha-“ she murmured sleepily, rubbing a hand over her eyes.

“We’re here, you fell asleep.” Oliver explained with a smile.

Felicity’s lips formed a pout immediately. “Oh, but I wanted to see…” she trailed off sadly.

Oliver chuckled, if it was at her five-year-old imitation or not she would never know. “You’ll see it again. Don’t worry.”

With that he opened the car’s door and got out. Felicity followed in his footsteps a moment later.

She gasped as soon as she took the scene around her. The cobblestone driveway they were currently on ended at a lovely [yellow stone building](http://oliviaandconor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/lemoulinbregeon1.jpg) with accented archways, ivy-covered walls and a lovely grass covered area out front. It had a beautiful simplicity to it. To the right side of the entrance there was a bistro-style table with matching chairs and several lawn decorations strewn around the place. There were various rose bushes growing on both sides of the front yard, along with a couple of trees offering shade in the hot weather.

The two cars parked in the driveway let her know that they were the last ones to arrive.

She felt like she stepped into a movie.

The sound of the car trunk being closed pulled her out of her reverie and she walked over to Oliver.

“Let me help,” she said, bending down to take one suitcase.

“Take what’s in the backseat, I’ve got these.” He motioned towards the two big suitcases at his feet, one being his and the other hers.

The only things in the back seat turned out to be her purse, laptop bag and his messenger bag. So she took them and followed Oliver inside the house.

The wallpapers, wooden paneling, antique-looking furniture, the carpets, the draperies, the intricately designed picture frames on the walls, supporting various oil paintings – it all screamed “French”. But they brought a sense of comfort and home, rather than a clichéd notion of French style.

Thea must have heard them come in, because as soon as Felicity shut the door behind them, the younger Queen’s voice rang out from down the hall.

“Second Floor, third doors to the left and right! Put your stuff inside and then come downstairs. You can unpack later!”

“You heard the drill sergeant.” Oliver chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Felicity figured he’d experienced “Vacation-Mode” Thea quite a bit in his life.

“Has she always been this bossy?” Felicity asked as they ascended the stairs to the second floor.

“Gets worse the older she gets.” Oliver replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

He didn’t mean it though. If his fond smile was anything to go by.

“Do you have a preference?” Oliver asked, as they reached their rooms a couple of minutes later.

Felicity shook her head. “I’ll take the right one,”

Oliver opened the door to her room and put her suitcase inside.

The[ room](http://www.realcohomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Design-Interior-Of-Modern-Bedroom-Country-Style-French-2.jpg) was covered in beige/white striped wallpaper, there was a big wooden wardrobe on the left side of the room. The bigger part of the space was occupied by the bed. It was big, plush and heavenly looking. Felicity wanted to sink into it and just sleep and sleep.

Instead she opted for laying her purse and laptop bag on the small bench at the foot of the bed.

A sudden awkwardness settled onto them.

“I’ll go put my stuff inside…” Oliver said after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck.

Felicity nodded mutely, offering him a small smile.

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding when the door closed behind him.

Ugh.

The days where she acted all flustered and nervous around him were long gone, replaced with comfortable companionship, but there were still some moments where she felt awkward and nervous around him, just like that first day…

 

Felicity shook her head in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts. They were going into a very dangerous territory and Felicity didn’t feel like going there. Instead, she took a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

Sara and Nyssa joined them a couple of hours later since they caught a later flight from Marrakesh. Once greetings, hugs and introductions were done, they all settled on the plush beige couches in the[ living room](http://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/New-Country-French-Cottage-stone-fireplace.jpg) and spent the evening catching up and eating a light [dinner](http://blog-images.homethangs.com/2011/08/french-country-kitchen-5_resize1.jpg). Sara and Nyssa shared some of stories of their time around the world.

Lyla countered that with stories from her latest missions for A.R.G.U.S while Roy, Felicity, Oliver and Digg shared some of the craziness that was going on their home turf.

For once, Thea didn’t dominate the conversation. Instead she only listened to the crazy vigilante stories and reveled in the knowledge that she was the only “sane” one out there.

 

In the end, they settled up on a light dinner and an early night in - after all, even superheroes aren’t immune to jetlag. Besides, early nights and an 8-hour-sleep were nothing short of a miracle and not one vigilante or their partner in life and/or crime was going to pass it up.

 

* * *

 

According to her phone, the hour was 3AM French time.

Felicity groaned and rolled out of bed. So much for a full night’s sleep…

She tugged her pyjamas top down as she stood up and she headed downstairs for the kitchen, in hopes that maybe a glass of milk will help.

She should have known Oliver would be awake, too.

Passing by the living room, she saw that the TV was on and her favorite vigilante – but don’t tell him because it’ll get to his head, and sure as hell don’t tell the rest of the JLA because things will get awkward – sprawled on the couch, watching what seemed to be some sort of sports game.

She was willing to bet her tablet it was basketball.

“Can’t sleep?” Oliver asked after a few moments.

Felicity sighed and pushed herself off the archway she’d been leaning on. She should have known he’d know she was watching him, even though he had his back to her. Oliver always knew… But then again, if she was being honest, so did she. Felicity always seemed to know when Oliver was in her vicinity. She couldn’t explain why or how, but she felt it.

And she had love/hate issues with it too.

“I guess it’s just the time difference catching up,” she answered, crossing the distance between them.

Oliver scooted up to make some space for her to sit next to him.

“Jetlag got you, too?” she asked him once she was settled down on the sofa, her side leaning against his, feet on the coffee table, and with his arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded. “Besides, you know I don’t sleep much.” He added.

Felicity sighed. She wished very much that she could help him where his night terrors were concerned. They weren’t as bad as they used to be the first couple of years since he got back from the Island, at least according to him, but they were still plaguing him. He’s even been seeing a therapist for the past year (to talk about the island and non-arrow related stuff), but even they hadn’t been able to be of much help.

“You’re sleeping longer than you used to.” She objected softly.

The reason Felicity knew that was that  **she**  was sleeping longer. 3AM calls from Oliver were not pushed to 5AM, late nights in the foundry didn’t mean staying up until the sun was up.

“Yeah…” Oliver sighed quietly, shifting his attention to the TV.

Sensing he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, Felicity followed suit.

“Who’s playing?” she asked.

Oliver shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Felicity snorted and twisted her head to the side so she could look at him. “How? You’re watching it!”

“The teams’ names are abbreviated and everything’s in French.”

“Oh…”

They returned their attention to the game after that, a comfortable silence settling between them.

“How did you get into basketball?” Felicity asked after a while. Sports never could hold her attention for long.

“Tommy and I used to play when we were younger.” Oliver explained, and Felicity could easily detect the sadness in his voice.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to – “

Oliver’s hand took hers and squeezed, effectively shutting her up. “No, it’s okay. It’s actually nice to have someone to talk to about the good memories.” He said, his smile more genuine and less sad now. “Then when we got older, we got lazier, we got access to our trust funds and discovered that it was a lot more fun to spend the night drinking than sweating our assess off on the court. So we switched to watching basketball both live and on TV. When I got back from the Island, Tommy gave me an entire box of recorded games I missed.”

Felicity let her head fall to his shoulder as she squeezed his hand in sympathy. “You miss him very much, don’t you?” she asked softly.

Oliver nodded. “More and more every day…”

“I’m sorry you had to lose him. I didn’t know him very well, but for what it’s worth I think he would be very proud of you if he could see you now.” Felicity offered.

 

Oliver said nothing, settling on kissing the top of her head instead.

* * *

 

The next morning Thea and Lyla found them sleeping entwined on the couch with the TV still on.

Just as Lyla was about to wake them up, Thea stopped her with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Wait,” she mouthed, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone.

She motioned for Lyla to go ahead after she’d snapped a good number of photos.

“It’s for their wedding.” She explained quietly.

Lyla snickered. “They need to get their heads out of their asses first.”

“What’s so funny?” came a voice behind them.

Turned out Sara and Nyssa were awake as well.

Thea spun on her heel to shush her so that she wouldn’t wake Oliver and Felicity.

Nyssa looked over Thea’s shoulder to see what the fuss was about.

“They are special to each other. How come they don’t see it?” she asked, honestly not understanding why someone would deny themselves love.

Sara wrapped an arm around her “Don’t try to figure them out. Even they can’t figure themselves out.” She chuckled.

“Where’s Digg and Roy?” Sara asked, looking around and noticing they weren’t there.

“Roy’s in the shower.” Thea said.

“And Digg’s still sleeping. He doesn’t get much sleep, so…” Lyla trailed off.

“Well, ladies, we have a long day ahead of us so –“

But just as Thea leaned forward to shake Felicity awake, Sara stopped her.

“Let me, I’ve been wanting for an opportunity like this for ages!” she grinned playfully.

She then walked over to the stereo and fiddled with it some.

Next thing they know, Felicity is screaming and Oliver is sitting up on the couch with his torso wrapped protectively around Felicity and clutching the remote control like a weapon.

Once Sara lowered the volume and Oliver and Felicity’s heartbeats actually returned to normal, did the girls start laughing, completely ignoring the dirty looks they were getting from Oliver and Felicity.

“Oh quit glaring, Ollie!” Sara exclaimed. “You would have probably splashed a bucket of water over me!” she laughed. “And let go of that remote. What are you going to do with it? Put me on mute?”

“I wish.” Oliver grumbled, the tension easing out of his body.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t freeze your bank accounts right this instant?” Felicity growled, her glare shifting from one woman to another.

“I’m a trained assassin.” Nyssa smirked.

“I’m special forces,” Lyla shrugged.

“I’ll tell them about the time we went drinking,” Sara chuckled deviously.

Felicity gasped. “You wouldn’t! This information is top secret and to never be spoken of!”

Sara raised an eyebrow at her in a silent challenge.

“Fine.” Felicity snapped, her gaze then shifting to Thea.

“Because you love me?” she asked, batting her eyes for additional effect. “And because if you do freeze my accounts Roy and I would be forced to move in with Ollie.”

“For the love of god no!” Oliver exclaimed quickly and hurried to calm his partner.

“They’ll get theirs, just don’t make Thea move in with me!” He pleaded with Felicity.

“What’s going on here?” Digg and Roy’s arrival cut off any response Felicity might have had.

“Your ‘better halves’ are being assholes.” Felicity grumbled, getting up from the couch. “You’re not loving them properly.” She added, walking towards the stairs to the second floor.

“We’re loving them plenty!” Roy objected at her retreating back.

Oliver hissed at that. “And with that, I’m going to go take a shower!” he announced loudly, before stomping upstairs.

 

“Seriously, what happened?” Roy asked again, after they heard both Felicity and Oliver slamming the doors of their rooms.

* * *

 

Knowing better than any of the others how well and long Oliver and Felicity could hold a grudge (especially when they put their minds to it), Digg offered that they postpone the Team Arrow day out and do a couples’ day instead, stating that since they were on vacation he didn’t feel like dealing with Mr. Angry Face and Miss Loud Voice.

So after Oliver and Felicity joined them for breakfast each couple went their own way.

Thea and Roy headed to Paris – to do some shopping no doubt, Digg and Lyla headed towards the nearest art museum, while Sara and Nyssa set off to look for some authentic markets.

Which left Felicity and Oliver alone.

That should have been Felicity’s third clue.

“I read there’s a small winery near the village, we could go see it if you didn’t have any plans,” Oliver offered once they were done doing the dishes.

Felicity’s face brightened considerably. “Oh yes! I was thinking about going for a walk around the village, but that’s so much better!”

“Meet you at the car in 30?” Oliver asked, returning her smile in kind.

 

“Race you upstairs, winner gets to drive!” Felicity laughed before setting off towards the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Oliver drove them to the winery.

Felicity insisted he cheated, because she would have beaten him had he not thrown her over his shoulder.

He’d laughed and told her to pout about it some more.

She did.

Yet when they reached their destinations and Felicity could see the acres of grapes lined up neatly one next to the other, she forgot all about being upset with Oliver.

Soon enough they were immersed in the world of wine-making on their tour through the winery. They saw all the machines, huge fermentation tanks – Felicity’s face blanched once she calculated the number of bottles one tank can fill.

They were even led outside and were given samples of the different sorts of wine Mr. and Mrs. Beufort were growing.

Their daughter, Fanny, was acting as guide since neither of her parents spoke English.

Oliver had to hold Felicity up once they reached the basement where the family kept the casks and ready-to-sell bottles.

They had a mini-wine tasting that had Felicity downright moaning at the deliciousness of their red wines and going on about the perfect balance of tannins, weight and all the different flavors dancing in her mouth.

“God, this place has spoiled all wines for me. I won’t be able to drink anything but French Red from now on,” she sighed after she settled in the passenger’s seat.

Oliver followed suit once he carefully placed their purchases in the trunk.

He’d let Felicity enjoy herself for the most part because he enjoyed watching her when she did and because he was driving, so drinking was off limits for him.

He did have a taste of his favorite wines though.

“They did have good wine,” he agreed once seated behind the wheel. “I saw this small café not far away from the house. How about we go leave the car, get some brunch – it would do us good with the wine we’ve had – and then walk around the place?”

Felicity nodded happily at her suggestion.

“First round of croissants is on me!” she told him, remembering the promise she made to herself when they arrived.

“First round?” Oliver asked with a chuckle “How many rounds are there?”

“As many as the types of croissants they have.” Felicity smiled at him proudly. “When in Rome and all that.”

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed in a similar manner, after they ate their fair share of pastries – Oliver was certain he couldn’t bear to look at another croissant for at least a week – and some coffee to take the edge of the alcohol off, they settled for walking around the picturesque village.

Felicity was glad for wearing her panda flats because the cobblestoned streets would have not been kind to her heels.

They visited the local food market where they bought some fresh fruit for the rest of the gang as well as some ingredients for dinner. Then they visited the local arts & crafts fair and got some wonderful hand-crafted souvenirs for Laurel, Lance, Barry and Iris and Felicity’s family.

Neither could remember the last time they’d had such a relaxing day.

As they were passing through a flower stall, the old man selling flowers called out to them in French.

“I’m sorry, we don’t speak French.” Felicity apologized with a kind smile.

The man returned her a grin of his own.

“For ‘ze happy couple.” He said in a heavily accented English, holding out a single white rose.

Oliver reached to his pocket to take his wallet out, but the older man put a restraining hand on his forearm. “No, no, ‘is pr’esent. Amour don’t have pr’ice.”

“Mersi, monsieur.” Oliver thanked him with a smile and took the rose, handing it to Felicity.

“Thank you,” Felicity said quietly, a soft blush settling on her cheeks.

They continued walking for a while longer before they reached what seemed to be the village square.

It was a lush green area with some benches strewn around and a small fountain in the middle.

“I feel like I’m in Beauty and the Beast.” Felicity laughed, walking in direction of the nearest bench.

Oliver chuckled in agreement. “Well you certainly fit the criteria.”

“Belle wasn’t a tech genius.” Felicity countered.

“No, but she was very smart and beautiful.”

Their gazes locked as they were seating next to each other on the wrought iron bench. Neither said anything for a few moments, both too lost in the other’s eyes.

“And she brought a man beyond hope back to life.” Oliver added, his voice barely over a whisper, his upper body inching closer to Felicity.

“He wasn’t beyond hope,” Felicity objected, her voice just as quiet. “He was just a little lost.”

Their foreheads were touching now.

Oliver could count the pale freckles sprinkles on her nose.

“And she loved him.”

“She did.”

She could feel his breath against her lips now, and she could barely stand to sit still for a second longer. The butterflies in her stomach were having a party.

“And he loved her too, even though he tried to keep her at arm’s length for her safety.”

“He’s an idiot.” Felicity’s chuckle was so breathy she almost didn’t recognize her own voice.

“One smart person in the relationship is enough.” Oliver said before slanting his lips over her.

At last.

Looking back, the fact that Thea set up their vacation in the “Country of Love” should have been Felicity’s biggest clue, but she couldn’t bring herself to care because despite being thousands of miles from Starling, kissing Oliver Queen felt like being home.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> The End.
> 
> Phew, that was… wow, I never expected it to get so long. You know you have an awesome prompt when you read 6K and feel like you can keep going forever
> 
> Any mistakes are my own. Please forgive me, I am yet to visit France and I based everything on research I did online.


End file.
